Developing a Heart of Praise

I woke up with a song in my head.  "How can I keep from singing?" By Chris Tomlin, God has been showing me the importance of having a heart of praise, and lips filled with thanksgiving towards Him.


I have thoughts rolling through my mind of friends recounting trials they were facing, and how the pain began to ease in every situation as soon as they found something to thank the Lord for.  One friend of mine had all kinds of terrible things happening, death in the family, financial stress, work problems, and a child with a broken collar bone (so of course no sleep on top of everything else).  She told me how everything just seemed dark and she was so discouraged, but yet, in the midst of the craziness she was still able to thank God.  To say "Even though all this is happening, and my daughter is in so much pain, this isn't permanent.  Thank you Lord that she will heal from this."  She said from that moment on her circumstances changed and everything looked brighter.  Another mom told me that she was discouraged with cleaning the house and how it used to be such a disheartening time for her.  Then God laid it on her heart to find something to be thankful for.  She began seeing his provision, for having a sink to clean, fresh water, clothes for her family that she could fold.  She said "Everything that I did around the house which normally seemed like such a CHORE....was now being looked at as another reason to be thankful." 

As I was pondering the significance of praising and seeing victory the Holy Spirit laid a scripture on my heart. This particular passage is about the Israelites.  They had just been freed from slavery in Egypt, and were only beginning their journey in the desert when the Amalekites marched against them.  This was the first battle after being freed.

“So Joshua fought the Amalekites as Moses had ordered, and Moses, Aaron and Hur went to the top of the hill. As long as Moses held up his hands, the Israelites were winning, but whenever he lowered his hands, the Amalekites were winning. When Moses’ hands grew tired, they took a stone and put it under him and he sat on it. Aaron and Hur held his hands up—one on one side, one on the other—so that his hands remained steady till sunset.  So Joshua overcame the Amalekite army with the sword.”  Exodus 17:10-13

So Moses, leader of the Israelites, wasn't fighting, but standing on the Hill with His hands raised.  Typically hands raised in the air are a symbol of worship, a sign of praise to God.  And as you read, as long as the hands were raised the battle was being won, but if they fell, they began to lose.  Maybe this is hinting to a key truth to overcoming the battles we face.  What if in times of pain we still find something to praise God for, will we start seeing the victory once again?  I believe so.  In Philippians 4:6-7 it is written “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”   I used to always read those verses and wonder, why the "thanksgiving"?  In a tough circumstance it is really hard to find the silver lining sometimes!  But you know, there always is one.  If you are breathing you have something to be thankful for.  

When we are faced with hardships, difficult people, tough tasks, as we start looking for the good,  all the lies of the enemy will be silenced as we open our lips and lift our hands in praise to our king.   The word even says "From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise because of your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger."  Psalms 8:2

So I encourage you, with whatever you are facing big or small, mundane or life changing, find something to praise God for.  When you are in trials of every kind keep those hands lifted in praise and choose to say as Habukkuk did "...yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will be joyful in God my Savior." Hab 3:18

Linking up to Faith Filled Fridays

What DOES Meditate mean?

What does meditate really mean?

God has been showing me several verses about meditating lately, people have brought it up to me and I have heard a few sermons on in in the last week.  Today I decided to look up meditating and the significance of it.

When I hear the word meditate I always picture a monk, sitting indian style on the grass, deep in thought, thumbs and pointer fingers touching, each hand resting on his knees, eyes closed all while humming "Ummmmmmmmmm".  Or a woman standing in a really strange pose, with peaceful music playing, eyes closed (of course the eyes must be closed to meditate) and letting her mind clear.  This might be the worlds' (and my previous) idea of meditating, but this is not what God intended when He told us to meditate on His word.

Typically when I think of meditating, I believe it to mean to ponder or think upon a truth.  Do you know in God's word, when meditate is mentioned in the old testament, it is the greek word: "hagah".  Strongs Concordance defines hagah: to moan, growl, utter, speak, muse  Meditating isn't thinking the verse, it is saying the truth out loud.  


“Do not let this Book of the Law (book of teachings/instructions, the word of God) depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.”  Joshua 1:8   Did you notice where God says the word is not supposed to depart?  Your thoughts?  Your writing? No!  It actually says your mouth.  I think we are on to something here.......

Something happens when a verse transfers from your mind to your mouth, I have witnessed first hand.  Last week I was having a few "off days", and I just felt drained of energy.  I was just starting to hear from God about meditating, to find a verse that applies to the situation I want to see a difference in and to say it over and over. God showed me a verse that I should study and repeat. “And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you.”  Romans 8:11  Every time I said the word of God something stirred in me, and guess what happened by the end of the day?  I was FULL of life and energy!  That was the turning point in my week, and it convinced me of the power of the spoken word.  It kind of makes sense though, God didn't think the world into existence, He spoke it!

So, I want to encourage you, whatever you are facing find a verse that combats it.  If you are feeling low on energy, find a verse on life, defeated.....victory,depressed... being lifted up, sick..healing, worry/anxiety....peace, guilt.....grace of God.  Now, once you have your verse, memorize it and repeat it continuously though out your day.  We can't read the bible all day, but we can surely mutter a verse every chance we get.  Let's see God change our circumstances and lives by not focusing on the negatives, but fixing our eyes, hearts and mouths on His truth!  “Turn my eyes from worthless things, and give me life through your word.”  Psalm 119:37  God's word is so life changing and I am excited to hear your stories of situations changing by simply speaking/meditating on His word all day long.

"Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take

or sit in the company of mockers, but whose delight is in the law of the Lord,  and who meditates (utters, speaks, muse)on his law day and night.  That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither—whatever they do prospers." Psalm 1:1-3

One on One Time

In my relationship with my kids I have noticed on days when things are really busy, and I haven't had much opportunity to sit down and have some one on one time with my children that they are a mess.  On those days it seems there are more frustrations, arguments, and a real lack of peace in my children. 

 A friend of mine recently said " I have been really on the go lately and not having much time for my kids.  I can see it wearing on them they are disobeying, arguing and just not themselves.  I just need to spend some really quality time with them because when I do that they are happier."  As the words were coming out of her mouth the Holy Spirit was saying to me and you are the same way when you don't spend time with your heavenly "daddy".  AMEN!

What a beautiful picture!  God, who is the ultimate loving Father, so desperately wants us to draw near to him.  He knows what you become when you experience His goodness, the peace and rest you experience.  When we spend one on one time with our heavenly Father we are made whole.  His perfect love casts out all fears (1 John 4:18), anxieties, worries.  When we show our children quality attention, that we truly love them, are interested in their interests and that we think they are special, the anxiety in them calms down.  It is the same with God.  If you don't spend time basking in His love for you, He can't restore you. 

 It is so key that every day we take that "one on one" time, if only for a moment, to spend in his presence.  We live in a world that is constantly on the go, where "resting" is unheard of, even when we're sitting we're usually on the computer, watching tv, thinking about what we should be doing, reading or on the phone.  In those times, I want to choose to put down the distractions, and go to the one who can and wants to give me peace.  

So if you are finding yourself being snappy, anxious, stressed, grumpy, hostile, angry (and believe me I am speaking from experience!) evaluate how much one on one time you have had with your "daddy".  His desire is for you, His son, Jesus died to give you deliverance from every single one of those emotions.  He came to give us life and life abundantly (John 10:10) , not to be stressed out all the time!  So if you feel that anxiety start to rise, or that you are failing as a mom, wife, friend go to the restorer. " ...we set our hearts at rest in his presence whenever our hearts condemn us.  For God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything." 1 John 3:19-20  The only place we can go to truly set ourselves at rest is His presence.  

We don't spend time with God because we are "supposed" to, we spend time with Him because we need and want to.  The power of His presence is incomparable, attitude changing, life altering.  So, have you had your "one on one" time today?  

Showers Bring Flowers

Drip drip drop little April showers....

There is something so comforting about rain.  I grew up in the south in an 1800's farm house and was lulled to sleep by the pounding rain on the tin roof many nights.

Sometimes we look outside and see rain, and think "Oh bummer, what a lousy day." We can easily forget that the rain is a blessing.  It is because of the rain we have green grass, beautiful blooming flowers, an abundance of fresh grown produce, plenty of water to drink and use.  In North Carolina we used to have dry spells, where there were water restrictions, where we couldn't wash our cars!

I look at my kids and see how they enjoy the rain.  They want to run out and play in it, stomp in the puddles, relish the sensation of raindrops falling on their faces.  Today I woke up and it was pouring!!  My son came in kinda down, and said "Oh, it is raining"  I had a decision to make, was I going to see the negative, or point out the positive.  "Yes it is!  And I am so glad!  We needed to water our garden anyway!"  He was in a better mood instantly and before I knew it he was outside splashing and having the best time.

Do you know that God's word is compared to the rain?  “As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.”  Isaiah 55:10-11

Just like we need the rain to cause the flowers and fruit to flourish and ripen, we need to be filling ourselves with God's word to begin producing fruit in our lives.  When we "hide his word in our hearts" it gives us seed (verses to share with others) and bread to eat(spiritual truths to feed on).  Give us today our daily bread.  Matthew 6:11

We had our afternoon tea out in our sun room which has an aluminum roof.  The rhythmic rain beating on the metal brought back precious memories of my childhood.  The chilliness in the air made the warm tea oh so enjoyable.

The kids enjoyed the rain in and out of doors and got to associate the same sound of rain on a tin roof with comfort just as I did.  How wonderful to enjoy God's blessing of rain.  

Living by His Faithfulness

Do you have moments....days.....weeks when you feel low on faith?  I will tell you, some days I just am no "feelin' it".  Thank goodness God does not work on our feelings!

A few weeks ago I stumbled across a verse and read it in a way I never had before.  “…but the righteous will live by his faith” Habakkuk 2:4b  A thought crossed my mind "Maybe instead of worrying if I have enough faith in God, I should instead make His faithfulness to me my focal point."  I have recently come to discover that to be true of Love.  It is not: do I love God enough?  But rather, I have decided to live based on the knowledge of his unconditional, unending, love for me.  So, possibly it is the same with faith.  I started to look up verses on faith and here are a few that stuck out.

“Not to us, O LORD, not to us but to your name be the glory, because of your love and faithfulness.” Psalm 115:1

“O LORD God Almighty, who is like you? You are mighty, O LORD, and your faithfulness surrounds you.” Psalm 89:8

“But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen and protect you from the evil one.” 2 Thess 3:3

“For the word of the LORD is right and true; he is faithful in all he does.”  Psalm 33:4

“God, who has called you into fellowship with his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful.”  1 Cor 1:9

“But you, O Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness.” Psalm 85:16

Wow!  He is FAITHFUL! It is all through His word, He is the faithful God.  We give him glory because of HIS LOVE and HIS FAITHFULNESS.  Even on those days when we aren't "feeling" very faithful, God's faithfulness towards us never ends.  In fact the word says “..if we are faithless, he will remain faithful, for he cannot disown himself.” 2 Timothy 2:13

So I think it is time to really understand that He Loves us and He is Faithful to us.  To say these verses out loud everyday.  To write them on our heart.

"Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart." Proverbs 3:3 

And as we begin to believe He truly is loving and forever faithful to us we will be safe and secure.  When we are living in the knowledge of these truths and are believing his love and faithfulness is always with us and bound to us, those attributes will effortlessly flow out of us.  I have tried to obey, to love, to be faithful in my own strength, out of my head because that is what you are supposed to do, to no avail.  But, when I really had a revelation of His love for me, his faithfulness to me and his grace abounding to me it began to flow supernaturally out of me as I abide in Him and His truths.  Glorious peace and rest!

“Love and faithfulness keep a king safe; through love his throne is made secure.”  Proverbs 20:28

Lord, give me a revelation of your faithfulness afresh today.  Let me go back to child-like faith, to take God at His word.  He is forever faithful, and loving towards me, because the bible tells me so!!!

I hope you have a chance to listen to FAITHFUL by Fee

Receive Grace

Over the past few months, and especially the past few days the word GRACE has been sticking out to me.  I have always loved the word Grace, it sounds pretty and well I am a little biased to it, it is my middle name after all.  Everyday I am learning more and more about it.  This is another thing I am constantly asking God to give me a revelation of (just like my Revelation of Love post), what his grace means to me.  How does His grace change my life?

What is grace anyway?

Grace-favor, approval, unmerited divine assistance given humans for their regeneration or sanctification, a virtue coming from God - As Merriam-Webster defines it. 

I think of it as the unearned favor of God.  Experiencing the favor of God changes you forever.  I know I don't deserve it and it I feel like it is impossible to understand how he could ever show such love towards me, but yet he does.  He loves me unconditionally, nothing will ever change that.  “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers,  neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:38-39  One of my favorite Hillsong songs captures this verse and points to his unending love: Where We Belong, is SO worth listening to when you get a chance.

This morning I woke up early and got to spend a few precious moments reading to my son and enjoying a cup of tea together.  I usually do not have quiet, easy starts to my day like that.  (Grace of God!!) While Drew started on some puzzles I took my last few moments alone to talk with God.  I told Him that I was about to get my day started and the only way I could make it through at peace, and in one piece (lol) and be able to show the love and grace to my kids that I have been shown is to first receive it from Him a fresh.--- “The faithful love of the LORD never ends! His mercies never cease.  Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning.”  Lam 3:22-23---To which His still small voice said "My grace is right here, just take it."  And I did, I let his favor wash over me, and spent a moment thinking on the love of my savior for me, “I am my beloved’s, and his desire is for me.”  Song of Sol 7:10 and I was full.

When you are full of the love and grace of God all you can do is pour out to others.  You aren't looking for them to fill you, because God himself has made you complete.

Of course the pressures of the day arose, cooking, cleaning, dissolving arguments between toddlers......I was feeling stress creep up...in the background I had Pandora radio playing.  At the moment when I thought..."Ok Lord, not sure if I can do this...." Guess what was playing on the computer?  "Your grace is enough, your grace is enough, your grace is enough for me!"  AMEN to that!  His timing is just perfect and His grace is enough, I know He played that just for me in that moment.  But that truth isn't just for me, it is for you too.  His grace is enough for whatever you are facing.  Go to the throne of Grace and receive help for whatever you are going through, Jesus is ready and willing to pour it out, just ask.  “Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” Hebrews 4:16

Dare NOT to Compare

We live in a culture where comparing ourselves to others is the norm.  I find myself sometimes thinking, "I could never measure up to her, she is a supermom" , or "I wish I got that many comments"....especially when I look on Pinterest, read blogs or check out facebook.  And the pity party starts.  At other times I find myself falling into the trap of saying "Can you believe so in so said ........?"  or "At least I didn't do that....."  And the self-righteousness creeps up.  I feel like it is a constant battle.  A line from the song Jesus Friend Sinners really resonated with me today: "Always looking around but never looking up, I'm so double minded."  I have been praying lately that the "helmet of salvation" (Eph 6:17) is covering my head and that Jesus himself will protect me from the trap of comparing myself to anyone.

"In this way we are like the various parts of a human body. Each part gets its meaning from the body as a whole, not the other way around. The body we're talking about is Christ's body of chosen people. Each of us finds our meaning and function as a part of his body. But as a chopped-off finger or cut-off toe we wouldn't amount to much, would we? So since we find ourselves fashioned into all these excellently formed and marvelously functioning parts in Christ's body, let's just go ahead and be what we were made to be, without enviously or pridefully comparing ourselves with each other, or trying to be something we aren't."  Romans 12: 4-6 MSG


My desire is to be what God has made me to be.  I want to get my meaning from Jesus.  There is a reason He is called: The WAY, the TRUTH, the LIFE. (John 14:6)  When you find out who you are IN CHRIST you begin to experience life to the fullest.  I am not better or worse than anyone else.  The truth is that no matter what we do we can never measure up to God's standard of holiness...."For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God's glorious standard" Romans 3:23  BUT, there was one person who did measure up: JESUS.  Thankfully it is not about what we do, but it is about what Jesus did for us! 


What did Jesus do?

He took on and took away my sin, so I could become his righteousness.  "God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." 2 Corinthians 5:21

He loved me, justified and freed me from my sins & guilt before I ever took notice of Him. "But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us."  Romans 5:8

He gave me eternal life.  “This is how much God loved the world: He gave his Son, his one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole, lasting and eternal life.”  John 3:16


I have realized my actions do not make me better than anyone or right before God, in fact it is written "When we display our righteous deeds, they are nothing but filthy rags." Isaiah 64:6b  The only thing that justifies me before God is my belief in Jesus Christ, the Son of God as my Savior.  I believe Jesus represents me before the Father, so when God looks at me, he sees Christ, I am now hidden in Christ (Col 3:3).  


A favorite quote of mine is "The devil wants you focused on yourself, God wants you focused on Jesus." -Joseph Prince.  God doesn't want me thinking I am not good enough or that my actions make me better than someone.  Instead of comparing myself to others, I want to look at Jesus and remember what He did and does for me.  He is my savior from my bad thoughts, my comparisons, my sin, my unrighteousness.  I believe He represents and intercedes for me every second of every day.  I believe, trust in and rely on Jesus Christ and He is who I want to look at, not other people.  

Sowing a Love for Gardening

I have been working on getting my garden going.  Last year I grew all of our crops from seeds planted right in the ground, except the tomatoes.  Planting seeds actually works!!!  Ha ha!  I usually buy the plants already started from the local farmers market, so I had never worked with seeds before.  This past year I started the tomatoes a few weeks before the last frost, which had them produce later than usual.  We started our tomato seeds today, so hopefully they will be just in time.  I let my children scoop the dirt, plant the seeds and water them.

It took a little longer than it would have if I had done it myself, but I am hoping to instill a love for gardening in them.  Sowing and successful growing always takes time, a lot of diligent, hard work and patience, but in the end all the tedious time spent pays off. Teaching kids to take time and put in the effort develops character and persistence and shows them the benefit of hard work.  Oh, how they love to go out and pick the fresh veggies from the garden in the summer, that they helped grow. They try EVERYTHING from the garden, so it also encourages them to eat vegetables too.  

I am a part of a WONDERFUL bible study on Monday mornings with women from 6 different churches.  It is so beautiful seeing unity in the body of Christ.  We have found our desire to walk with Jesus, a love for God's word and a heart to grow in the things of the LORD as our common goals.  This week we were actually discussing sowing and reaping.  We talked about what you sow into your mind, your marriage, your kids is what you will reap.  

“ Don't be misled: No one makes a fool of God. What a person plants, he will harvest. The person who plants selfishness, ignoring the needs of others—ignoring God!—harvests a crop of weeds. All he'll have to show for his life is weeds! But the one who plants in response to God, letting God's Spirit do the growth work in him, harvests a crop of real life, eternal life.  So let's not allow ourselves to get fatigued doing good. At the right time we will harvest a good crop if we don't give up, or quit. Right now, therefore, every time we get the chance, let us work for the benefit of all, starting with the people closest to us in the community of faith.” Galatians 6:7-10 MSG

In our group we were talking about sowing spiritual things, such as if we want our kids to have a love for God's word we need to begin teaching the word to them and praying that they will have a love for it.  If we want our husbands to share in our interests, we need to share in and adapt ourselves to theirs.  If we want a mind at rest that dwells on good things, we need to listen to, read and watch peaceful, wholesome, God-honoring things.  

I hope to spend more time thinking about what I want to reap in my life, and I pray that God will show me how and what I need to sow to get those harvests.   “Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness.” 2 Cor 9:10

Moment of Weakness

Yesterday and today I have been praying about what to post on here next.  Tonight we had dear friends stop by and drop off some AMAZING lemon custard dessert as a surprise.  Can I say WONDERFUL???!!!!  They told us to check out the song they sang at church today: None But Jesus (click to listen), to which my husband replied "Well, she'll be having it on all night!"  He knows me :)  I like to listen to songs I enjoy over and over and over and I absolutely LOVE blaring the praise music.  My friend Kim always says "I keep praise music on all the time to keep my eyes on Christ, and I also sing along to it, other wise it is just background noise.  It is the best attitude adjuster there is."

I asked God again tonight what I should blog about, He reminded me about a song I had heard last year.  One line really spoke to me.  Isn't it amazing how praise songs sometimes just speak so much truth and how it can change your mood and how you view a situation?  I started listening to None But Jesus tonight (as suggested by my friend), and don't you know it was the EXACT song that had impacted me 1 year ago.  Confirmation!!  Guess that really is what God wants me to write about tonight.....He is amazing!

So the line that meant so much to me was:  "In the chaos and confusion I know you're sovereign still, In the moment of my weakness you give me the strength to do your will."   Chaos, confusion that is pretty much the life of a mother with young children.  I notice when everything is getting crazy it tends to be my "weak moment".  I heard this song and I thought "Yeah!  Even during those times He is still sovereign, He still is ready to pour out His grace and strength and help me through this."  That verse runs through my head when it gets a little wild over here. 

Even when things seem a mess, God is still God.  He hasn't changed. I have found that if I take a moment to just ask Him to calm my heart and give me wisdom and strength, He does and it settles me down and gives me peace and clarity to handle the situation.  Now, I don't always remember to do this, which is a real bummer, because facing a situation with the peace and power of God is SOOOOO much better than handling it in my own strength.  But, I am surely asking for His help a lot more now than I used to.  Once you get a taste of God's way of handling a situation, you don't want to go back.  

So if you are faced with a "moment of weakness" take just a second to ask God for his strength, power, peace and wisdom on the matter.  Instead of instantly reacting, stop and ask God, "What should I do?"   I am always telling him: " Ok God, you know I am weak in this area.  I am not good at this, but you are good at everything.  I need your grace.  Will you help me?"  


"My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me."  2 Corinthians 12:9  I want Christ's power resting on me. In his power there is nothing I can't do.  "I have strength for all things in Christ Who empowers me [I am ready for anything and equal to anything through Him Who infuses inner strength into me; I am self-sufficient in Christ's sufficiency."  Philippians 4:13 amp

God is willing and wants to give you the strength to overcome your situations and moments of weakness.  It is as simple as stopping to ask.  "For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened."  Matthew 7:8

Linking up to SIMPLY HELPING HIM

Revelation of Love

(I totally put lotion on for this photo- dry hands ha ha!)

I don't know about you, but I am always asking God for a revelation of love, of His love for me.  I want to know how much he loves me, what he thinks and says about me, what I mean to him.  I am reading The Well by Mark Hall (Lead singer of Casting Crowns) and he said a great quote today:  "What is true about you is what God says about you."  I love that!

I was reading in Psalms recently and I came across chapter 136, in which the psalmist declares "His Love endures forever" 26 times!!  I remember reading it and thinking, ok I have got to look up some more on this "love of the God", because I am thinking it is pretty significant for him to say this over an over....What I am noticing is that people who know they are loved by God are mighty for his kingdom's cause. 

The apostle John always referred to himself as the disciple whom Jesus loved.  I believe that it wasn't that John was the only one Jesus loved, but that he understood the love of Jesus.  He was loved just as much as any other disciple, he just "got it".  I want to get it.  All the other disciples scattered when Jesus was accused & taken captive, even Peter who said even if all else deny you, I never will.  (In essence He was boasting and  saying I love you Jesus, I don't know about these other guys, but I got your back.)  Well we know what happened, when the first hint of persecution came that night he was denying and lying!  But where was John at the crucifixion?  The disciple who said Jesus loves me....He was at the foot of the cross, following wholeheartedly his savior till the bitter end (as it seemed at the time).

I began to realize, I need to focus on Jesus' love for me.  I am human and "conditional", a lot of times I change based on circumstances.  What if I don't trust in my love for God, but I put my trust in His love for me?  Which, by the way His love for us NEVER CHANGES, it is UNCONDITIONAL, It ENDURES FOREVER, it NEVER FAILS.  I think the children's song "Jesus loves me" has got it right.  I need to be singing that a lot more and burn that truth into my mind.  Isn't it beautiful that one of the first songs that we teach children about Jesus is key to living victoriously as conquerors in Christ.  I pray that I am rooted and established in love, that I have a revelation of God's love daily, that I remember through everything : Jesus loves me this I know, for the bible tells me so.

Paul encouraged the Ephesians by telling them how he was praying for them.  I now pray these verses for myself and others as God puts them on my heart:

"16 I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18 may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God." Ephesians 3:16-19

That is what I am talking about!  I want to be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.  I want to sit at his feet and receive and grasp His love for me.  When I have a revelation of his love I have a revelation of Him, because "God IS Love" 1 John 4:8.  When you are filled with His love, you are filled with Him, and if you are filled you can pour out into others the same love you received.  "We love because he first loved us." 1 John 4:19.  So if you are having a hard time loving someone, go to the throne of grace and receive His love for you and help for your time of need. (Hebrews 4:16)

I pray that I receive a revelation of love, a fresh understanding of His love for me today, fill me up :)  Here is one of my favorite songs about his love for us:How He Loves

Let's go on a walk....

What does walking with God look like?  What does it look like for you?  I was doing a study on the fruit of the Spirit this summer and one person REALLY stuck out to me when we studied the word "faithfulness".  It was Enoch.  He is listed in the Hebrews "Hall of Faith" in chapter 11.   "By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death; he could not be found, because God had taken him away. For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God." Hebrews 11:5

Ok, Enoch obviously had a good relationship with God, I want to look at what he did.  What else does the word say about him?  "When Enoch had lived 65 years, he became the father of Methuselah.  And after he became the father of Methuselah, Enoch walked with God 300 years and had other sons and daughters.  Altogether, Enoch lived 365 years.   Enoch walked with God; then he was no more, because God took him away.  Genesis 5:21-24.  After reading that, I kinda thought, "That is it?  That seems simple..." Enoch walked with God.  He lived before the bible was written, so what did walking with God look like for him?  An interesting thought to ponder.  

When a parent and child are on a walk, the young person always has LOTS of questions for the adult.  They are in constant conversation.  Sometimes the kid gets tired and the parent picks them up and carries them through the "rough parts". The child relies fully on the parent to keep them safe and guide them carefully.  Both people are include in everything that is going on.  Ideally they are free from distractions and they can just spend time together, talking about everything.  The child takes what the parent says by faith, their words are true, and they trust them with their lives.


I want to walk like that with God.  I want to let Him pick me up and carry me when I feel too weak to continue.  I want to ask my daddy about EVERYTHING,  "Should I watch this show?" or "What do YOU want me to say right now, because I don't want to mess up?!"   When I don't hear an answer right away I want to go to His word, the bible and see what He says about my situation.  I want to go to trusted friends and family that walk with God for advice, I want  pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests (Eph 6:18).  I want to trust that He is leading me safely and commune with Him so much that I know his voice.   "My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me." John 10:27 "and his sheep follow him because they know his voice." John 10:4b

This is what walking with God looks like to me: including Him in every aspect of my life. Seeking his guidance with all my heart and soul in all decisions, because I really do want to know what he thinks about everything.


"But if from there you seek the LORD your God, you will find him if you look for him with all your heart and with all your soul." Deuteronomy 4:29


Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known. Jeremiah 33:3

Who are those who fear the LORD? He will show them the path they should choose.Psalm 25:12

I want to walk with the living God, I want to ask and trust, I want to let Him lead, I want Him pick me up, I want to listen to Him teach and show me the way to take.  So, let's go on a walk......

Audience of One

I have always loved the song by Big Daddy Weave: AUDIENCE OF ONE. Do I really believe I have only one person to please, that my audience consists of one person?  How easily I find I can slip into the approval of everyone else but Him.  Recently God has been confirming to me over and over that I need to care about what He thinks above all else.  I was hanging out with a dear friend lately, who gave some great advice to her son.

He came up to us while we were sipping our sweet tea (this weather has been incredible).  "Mommy, they keep calling me the bad guy!"  To which she replied "Buddy, you know you are a good guy, so don't listen to what they say about you, just remember I say that you are a good.  Just ignore them, and know that you are a good guy, it doesn't matter what they say."  He ran off and played and decided not to listen to the false things that were being said.  God spoke to me. "You need to know that!  No matter what people say, know that I say you are a "good guy".  I am the only opinion that matters."  AMEN!!

I turned on the radio 3 days after that incident to find a fun song to rock out to with my kiddos.  We love turning the radio up and singing at the top of our lungs, even Emma joins in, with "good bye, good bye, good bye" LOL.  I found a sermon on and was just about to pop in a cd when the pastor said  "We live among a people starved for attention."  He said "They will get it any way they can, and that usually comes in the form of people pleasing.  People do whatever they can to fit in, to gain approval by whoever will accept them.  This is why people join gangs, fraternities, try drugs, gossip, among many other things..... they are starved for approval and to feel accepted and loved."  He finished by saying "Seeking the approval of other people enslaves you.  You are in chains to the last opinion you hear of you or person you are trying to please."  I thought it was so true and so interesting because God has been showing me just this week that His is the only approval we need.

I wanted to share a few verses I found on the subject:

Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD is kept safe.  Proverbs 29:25

Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ.  Galatians 1:10

On the contrary, we speak as men approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel. We are not trying to please men but God, who tests our hearts....We were not looking for praise from men, not from you or anyone else 1 thess 2:4, 6a

So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it.  Since, then, we know what it is to fear the Lord, we try to persuade men.... What we are is plain to God, and I hope it is also plain to your conscience. 2 cor 5:9&11

This week I have been making it my goal to live for Christ, for His purposes for me, to follow Him alone, and to throw off everything else.  I need approval from Him alone, and when I get that in my heart and mind, and put on my Helmet of Salvation the battle in my mind begins to cease.  To be approved by just one person is much more simple than pleasing everyone and being enslaved by their opinions of me.  I would rather just care about Jesus' opinion of me.  When my focus is on His validation alone there is glorious freedom.  "It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery." Galatians 5:1

Come to the Well

I heard this song for the first time yesterday:  The Well by Casting Crowns (Click the link and listen if you get a chance).  What a song!  Sometimes you feel dry in your walk with the LORD, we have ALL been there.  Go to Jesus.  He is ready to send a river into your desert.  Even Jesus said to the lady at the well:  "If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water." John 4:10 

After I had Emma (who is almost 2 years old now) it was THE DRIEST period of my walk with God.  When you have a new born it is just hard adjusting, feeding, getting no sleep, no real schedule and in addition to all that I was chasing a toddler (a very curious and active one at that).  Praying was done out of necessity to survive & to stay awake, and I read the bible if I found time.  So, I know about the "desert".  

Jesus was there the whole time helping me through it all, sometimes I failed to see it at, but looking back I see His hand in everything.  Regardless of how you are feeling remember our God is the faithful God, trust that He is faithful to you.  Even if you feel like you aren't "doing good" in your spiritual walk, remember you are always good with God, if you are a believer in Jesus as the son of God and he is your LORD.  Start saying scripture out loud like: "God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." 2 Corinthians 5:21.  Which means in Christ, because of the cross we are "right with and approved by God".  Jesus is our lamb, our sacrifice to God to make atonement once and for all for ALL of our sin, past, present, future.  His divine blood was enough. Another one I like to confess when I am feeling condemned:  "Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death." Romans 8:1-2  

Trusting in Jesus, as your Representative before God, and receiving his forgiveness and love frees you from guilt.  As you do this, realize your position with God is good, because of His son's obedience, water will begin flowing to your dry and weary land.  “Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him.  By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive.” John 7:38-39a  So come to the well, Jesus has an inexhaustible flow of living water to give out to those who are thirsty.  “…but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life” John 4:14  

I regularly ask Jesus to send me that living water, fill me up with His Spirit and enable to me walk in step with Him.  Ask and believe in Jesus and get ready for the desert to turn into a fertile land!  “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past.  See, I am doing a new thing!   Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?  I am making a way in the wilderness  and streams in the wasteland.   The wild animals honor me,   the jackals and the owls, because I provide water in the wilderness   and streams in the wasteland, to give drink to my people, my chosen,  the people I formed for myself that they may proclaim my praise......I, even I, am he who blots out  your transgressions, for my own sake,  and remembers your sins no more." Isaiah 43:18-21 & vs 25  

I posted the song "The Well" on facebook yesterday, my friend Sierra shared with me that I would really like 2 other songs on the cd "Jesus Friend of Sinners" and "Spirit Wind".  Both are awesome, and I had you tube playing those songs over and over.  This afternoon the whole CD was on my front porch, dropped off "anonymously".  So cool! Thank you Lord for this precious gift!  

One Word From You

"You have been regenerated (born again), not from a mortal, but from one that is immortal by the ever living and lasting Word of God." 1 Peter 1:23 

I was just thinking recently of how just one word or sentence from God can change your mood, your outlook, your day, your life!

Last week was an interesting week for me.  A few mishaps happened, encountered several instances of defiance and a little sibling fighting was wearing on me.  I was feeling overwhelmed emotionally, phyically, spiritually....every way you can feel overwhelmed... I decided to talk to the one who could do something about it.

"Dear Lord, my daddy, I need you today and everyday but especially today...." I went through the list of everything that was going on, as if He didn't already know, but there is something about saying it out loud, for me it just unloads and gets my issues out into the light.  I went on an on listing everything I could think of.  "I don't know how much I can take, I am stressed, drained, struggling, tired....... and when I got done saying all my issues God very calmly replied "I am greater still."  WOW!  First of all, isn't it amazing that He doesn't cut us off, he is patient with us and lets us talk all the time to Him and doesn't yawn or get bored or ignore us (we might not always hear our answer right away, but He is listening intently).  That small phrase changed everything, my spirit was lifted, I realized that nothing could happen to me that God couldn't do something about, He is in control.  Does He ever know what to say?!  He sure is greater, and He has got me, he has got my kids, he has got a plan, and it is good for me.

For I know the plans I have for you,” says the LORD. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.  In those days when you pray, I will listen.  If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me. Jeremiah 29:11-13

Today Drew discovered a new favorite song.  It is track by Aaron Crider called "Hallelu".  We were blessed to hear his incredible testimony at Live Live Church back in the fall.  In the song one line kept stuck out to me: "In the presence of the King, One time changes everything."  Amen to that.  So good, so true.  So I just wanted to encourage you with whatever you are facing, taking time to sit in the presence of the King of Kings: Jesus. Open his living word and see what He has to say about your situation.  Just a touch, just a whisper, just a word from Him will change you, change your circumstance, change your world.

Click here to hear MercyMe sing "WORD OF GOD SPEAK" - Great song about listening for His words.

Be Still

Sometimes situations arise beyond your control.  I am a peacemaker at heart, so I love when everyone is getting along.  I always want to talk it out and find a solution, solve the problem and have everyone at peace.  Recently I was the one not at peace, I kept thinking, "Ok, what can I do?  What should I say? How can I fix this?"  My mind was racing and my heart was unsettled.  Finally I quieted down and decided to ask the right question.  "God what do YOU want me to do?" He responded with:  "Be Still, the battle belongs to the LORD."  

Um, SO not what I was expecting!  Well this is definitely not what I have ever done.  I am typically quick to speak and act.  Be Still?  Hmmm, "Ok God, if that is what you want me to do, I will give it a try." I was calmed down, and although the situation was still unresolved, I had that peace that passes all understanding. God has go this, and God has got me!

The first church service I attended after this we were singing a song with the lyrics: "I will wait for YOU to move, for your mighty hand to save, when the troubled waters rise YOU are my hiding place......Your walls our SALVATION your gates our PRAISE. My deliverer is the LORD " By Chris Tomlin Full Song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1OC5eh-9LyI

I had recently read that salvation in Hebrew is pronounced: "Yeshua", and Jesus in Hebrew is pronounced "Yeshua" That song had a whole new meaning for me that day.  Walls protect a city right?  My walls are JESUS!  He is my protector and deliverer.  I am not longer protecting myself.  The One who is great and mighty, who took the keys and the power of the devil away and is seated at the right hand of the Father in heaven.  He is my victor, my champion, my warrior.  Jesus protecting me, is ALL I NEED.


I went home and looked up the verse that the song was written from, I thought I had just read it somewhere in Psalms, the first verse that google pulled up was:

"In that day this song will be sung in the land of Judah: We have a strong city; God makes salvation its walls and ramparts." Isaiah 26:1


I thought it was SO AWESOME, because that day we were literally singing about God making our walls salvation, like it said in the verse!  Tonight as I searched for the verse again, this one came up:


"No longer will violence be heard in your land, nor ruin or destruction within your borders, but you will call your walls Salvation and your gates Praise."  Isaiah 60:18

When you have the peace of God, you aren't stressed and there is not destruction going on inside of you.  I am all about calling my walls Salvation/Jesus, and praising my God!

It is so nice to wait on the LORD to move, for Him to be my defense.  It takes a lot of pressure off me, and instead of me leading, He is leading me.  "But they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint." Isaiah 40:31

This past Sunday at church we had a guest speaker.  Pastor Chris was burning up the pulpit!  Everyone I have talked to keeps saying AWESOME his message was- God was in the building let me tell you!  He spoke on  Jehosephat, an INCREDIBLE story.  If you have a chance to read the story check out: 2 Chronicles chapters 18-20  My quick version: Jehosephat is the king of Judah who the LORD was with.  And he decided to go and fight a battle, going ahead of God and not listening to His advice (taking matters into his own hands).  He is defeated, and humbled.  He realizes he needs God and pours his heart out to him in chapter 20.  He prays that The Lord will hear Him and Save him.  God responds with this:

 This is what the LORD says to you: ‘Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God’s. ¹⁶ Tomorrow march down against them. They will be climbing up by the Pass of Ziz, and you will find them at the end of the gorge in the Desert of Jeruel. ¹⁷ You will not have to fight this battle. Take up your positions; stand firm and see the deliverance the LORD will give you, Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Go out to face them tomorrow, and the LORD will be with you.’” 2 Chron 20:15-17


When the Pastor read this passage I about fell out of my chair!  That is exactly what God has spoken to me- CONFIRMATION that I wasn't just making it up!  Sometimes God does in fact tell you to fight and he gives you the words and leads you in peace by his Spirit to do or say something, but there are other times that He wants to fight for you.  In the story he shared that Sunday, Jehosephat marched his army out to battle, the sang praise songs to God, the battle started, they did not lift a finger.  Their enemies started destroying each other.  AMAZING.  That is our God, He is something else!  

Sit at His Feet

It was an absolutely BEAUTIFUL day here in Michigan, with temperatures reaching the 60's.  I think I saw just about EVERYONE outside!  We were on a walk, and I was talking to my husband about this blog I said "I really want to be better about blogging, but I don't know if I have the time, or if that is what God wants me to right now?"  To which my husband replied "I don't know honey."  Love him!  A man of little words, I am the one with the words :)  I was wondering if God wanted me to write or not, and I thought I heard Him whisper "write" a few times today but wasn't sure if that was Him or me.  Tonight I got on Facebook and the first comment I read was friend of mine Joann, that I met in middle school, who said she had been inspired by my posting to start her own blog.  Thank you, those words meant more than you know, it is nice to have confirmation sometimes that this is exactly what God wants you doing.


Recently I had a lot of things on my mind (more than usual), worrying about this and that, wanting answers to all kinds of questions, pondering scriptures, beliefs, wanting wisdom, striving to be the wife God created me to be, being a kind mother, a good friend, an encouraging sister and daughter, seeking discipline advice and the thoughts went on and on.  I got on my knees and asked Jesus, what do I do?  I am so overwhelmed by all these cares.  To which he replied, in the still small voice that I have come to know and cherish " Martha, Martha, you are worried about many things, but ONE thing is needed, SIT AT MY FEET."  TRUE THAT, was the first thing I thought!  He was so so so right.  If you don't know the story I am referring to I will post it below so you can read the context this was originally written.

³⁸ Now as they were traveling along, He entered a village; and a woman named Martha welcomed Him into her home. ³⁹ She had a sister called Mary, who was seated at the Lord’s feet, listening to His word. ⁴⁰ But Martha was distracted with ^[q]all her preparations; and she came up to Him and said, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to do all the serving alone? Then tell her to help me.” ⁴¹ But the Lord answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered about so many things; ⁴² but only one thing is necessary, for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her.”  Luke 10:38-41

I found that as I was worrying about how to be the best this and that, how to serve Him best I wasn't letting Jesus do what he does best, be a SAVIOR.  I was not allowing Him to save me from my cares, the expectations of myself, the attacks of the devil.  As I literally sat down I asked God to wash over me with His love.  I began to receive from Him, instead of give, to sit and rest in His presence, instead of serve before Him. I let Him serve me - which was NEW for me.  Do you know what followed? INSTANT PEACE and an overwhelming sense of His LOVE for me. Praise the LORD!  It was almost as if God was like "It is ABOUT TIME- this is what I have been wanting to do! Now here ya go daughter."  

A week later I found this scripture: "¹⁹ This is how we know that we belong to the truth and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence: ²⁰ If our hearts condemn us, we know that God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything." 1 John 3:19-20 AMEN!

So if you are feeling stressed, worried, condemned (feeling like you did something wrong), under pressure to perform, go to the heavenly Father, He is the ONLY ONE who can set your heart at rest....because he is GREATER still!

Suddenly I felt like those problems and pressures were no big deal.  God has got this, God has got me!  But I am starting to notice that the more I bask in His presence, receive his LOVE and GRACE the more I am strengthened to face the day and to LOVE and serve others.  I would be unable to do that without first allowing Him to love me. "¹⁹ We love because he first loved us." 1 John 4:19 

I hope to be able to take the time for Him to LET Him love me and be my savior DAILY.


GREAT SONG TO GO ALONG WITH THIS http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6_KXsMCJgBQ ONE THING REMAINS!

The Beginning of A GREAT Adventure!

So I started out this blog because I wanted to share recipes, gluten free foods, and healthier living ideas.  I have been feeling God calling me out lately, because I have MUCH more going on than that.  I do love that he lead me to name this blog "Season the Day".  I actually tried to name is something with "gluten free" in the title, but his ways are so glorious and higher than mine.....that he didn't give me any ideas with that, but "Season the Day" was just right, Andrew actually came up with it!  My husband is so wonderful and perfectly made for me!  I was just thinking of the verse "You are the Salt of the earth" Matthew 5:13a, and God is telling me "You better start sharing some stories of how I have been spicing up you life!".  AMEN!

Quick back ground.....Raised in a wonderful Christian home, Grandparents & Great Grandparents were/are Christians on both sides of my family.  Truly began seeking a relationship with the living God at age 16, at a youth camp 86 hours, run by Planet Wisdom (http://planetwisdom.com/) (Mark Matlock is the speaker- so great!!!).  I am a FIRM believer in church camp....getting away from the distractions of every day life and focusing on the TRUE meaning of life. I later served on the Rec Team at this camp and my husband proposed to me there.  Very fond memories of Camp.

Anyways, moved to Michigan on a whim in 2003, and OBVIOUSLY never left, but I am a southern girl at heart, I still have a hard time calling soda: "POP".  I never thought I would, but I was wrong, they sucked me in!  Haha!  Before I came to the north I remember someone telling me that it is different from the south, you won't find a good church up there.  Well that didn't turn out to be true, well the church part, I am not going to lie it is DEFINITELY different up here!  But I love it all the same!  Bring on the 6 months of winter and aggressive drivers!  I joined a bible study almost as soon as I came up north.  WOW!  It changed my life!  I typically read the bible sporadically through out the week, if I could find the time, but being in a study you had to be reading it almost every day.  I was being challenged during the week and on Sundays.  My relationship got deeper and deeper with the Lord, and I was truly enjoying spending time in his presence.

After getting married I noticed my husband would read his bible every morning at breakfast, as his dad, my awesome father in law still does to this day.  He said he loved seeing that every morning and wanted his kids see him doing the same thing.  We all read ours at the breakfast table each morning, Emma even has her picture bible.  Drew has the Action Bible- SO PERFECT for little boys!  So being in God's word has become a part of our lives, something we strive to be in every day.

A few years ago I was mentoring a few girls (Sam, Erica, Debbie - Love you girls and that time with you was so special) in the high school group at our church and God led us to do the Beth Moore bible study: Living beyond yourself....Exploring the Fruit of the Spirit.  It was my first Beth Moore study, AMAZING!  It still is my favorite study of all time.  I think that is mostly because I have been taught a lot about God, and Jesus (and still have WAY WAY WAY more to learn) but I knew very little about the Holy Spirit and the role he plays in our lives.  Well this past summer I committed to a women's bible study before knowing what the material would be.  The leader chose to do "Living Beyond Yourself....Exploring the Fruit of the Spirit".  My first thought was "Oh bummer!  I have already done that study!"  But I knew the leader was following hard after God and had truly prayed about what to do....turns out she had actually done the study before too.  I felt a peace go to the study anyway, well that started quite an adventure.

I have lots of stories to share but I will leave you tonight with this:  One of the early nights in that study this summer we were discussing how you can KNOW that it is the Holy Spirit talking to you or not.  My friend Danielle said "I think when you hear Him, and act on what he says to do, the more you WILL hear him and the more obvious it will become that it is the Holy Spirit talking.....not just a random voice in your head."  I thought "Could that be true?" So I decided to put it to the test.....
"Alright Lord, I am going to listen, tell me whatever and I will do it."  My first opportunity to for sure follow this Spirit's leading was that week.  I dropped off food to a friend's house who had a baby.  I did not expect to stay but she invited me right in.  Her delivery had been tough and needed a lot of physical healing.  A new baby is quite an adjustment but being in severe pain doesn't help!  I felt instantly the Spirit say, "Ask her if you can pray for her?!" Of course my natural instinct was to have an argument in my head.  "What?  No!  She will think I am weird!!"  And again very calmly "Ask her if you can pray with her."  I fought it for another few minutes "AWKWARD!  UNCOMFORTABLE!", but then relented after remembering my own words 'Tell me whatever and I will do it.'  So I decided to step out of my comfort zone.   "Hey, would you mind if I prayed for you?"  She replied " Sure, that would be great."  I began to pray and as I did, she started to cry!  The Lord was moving.  He prompted, I followed and He was glorified.  We hugged afterwards and she thanked me.  And I was thanking God, because He knew she needed that, I didn't!  That was back in June, so there are many more stories to come!

I encourage you to follow the Spirit's leading. Go, when he says Go, Speak when he says Speak, Be Quiet when he says Be Quiet (that is a hard one for me sometimes- haha!) "Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit." Galations 5:25 So if you haven't tried it yet, start acting on everything He says, no matter how awkward, because it gets crazy exciting when you do!!!!

This song is a great reminder of that: I WILL FOLLOW (Click link to listen)